Our Music Experts

Our passionate music experts from around the globe create all good vibes for every moment, place and mood in your life! With their in-depth knowledge of all musical genres, including rock, pop, R&B, country, electronic and jazz; they create amazing worlds of sound, without ads or interruptions. Discover the faces and stories of the people behind your favourite channels.

Andrea Husak

Andrea Husak started working in radio at the age of 14 by co-hosting a children’s show in her native Germany.

She has worked as a presenter, music programmer and editor for numerous German radio stations. During her career, she has interviewed hundreds of singers, bands and other artists.

She is open to every type of music and enjoys discovering new sounds and voices, whether they be pop, rock, dance, urban or classical. What matters is that the music move her heart and body!

No stranger to the world of pop music, Andrea has helped compose and record music that has climbed the German charts. She is also a successful, and sought-after, voice-over artist. She can regularly be heard on national radio and in television advertising.

Pierre-Jean Lavigne

Pierre-Jean Lavigne has been a DJ and host various radio shows and podcasts since 1999. His involvement in the music scene has not only enabled him to play at numerous festivals, but also open for many of his favorite acts.

Thanks to his expertise in writing and broadcasting, he has been selected as a member of the jury for many festivals (Montreal Jazz Fest, Mundial, etc.) and has collaborated on music publications.

He has always believed that music’s capacity to surprise and touch on many emotional levels is one of the best ways of bringing people together. For that reason, a musician’s sincerity is one of the qualities he looks for in new music.

Henry van den Hoogen

Henry Van Den Hoogen has been surrounded by music all his life. His father made him listen to everything from country-legend Hank Snow to marches by Johann Strauss (and everything in between). Henry says “…there were radios in every room of the house”. He spent countless hours doing homework with headphones on. He mentions: “My mother still can’t believe I make a living from listening to music!”

He had the good fortune of starting his career as Assistant Music Director at 680 CFTR in Toronto (then a Top 40 powerhouse and now one of the most popular radio stations in Canada). From there, he went on to be Music Director at MIX 96 and later, when seeking new musical perspectives, he joined Sony Music Canada as Promotions Representative for Montreal and Ottawa.

The opportunity to program Hit List, a music channel, without restrictions, announcers or commercials, is a dream come true.

Favourite groups and artists

There are too many to name.

Al Heller

The son of an antiques dealer, Al Heller grew up surrounded by dusty, old musical instruments such as lutes, harps, zithers, pianolas, hurdy-gurdies and church organs. He spent much of his childhood experimenting with sound.

Having developed a passion for avant-garde and electronic music, Al served a long musical apprenticeship, composing, recording and regularly performing on the UK live circuit with a diverse range of acts, from punk to jazz.

In the 80’s, he landed his first studio job at Polygram in London. In 1994, he began freelancing at the newly-formed Music Choice. He has been actively involved in programming for major broadcasters, such as MTV, ever since. Al has held a number of positions within the music industry, from audio engineering to compiling albums and penning sleeve notes.

Steve Ager

For 11 years, Steve Ager was a song plugger for major labels and worked with such illustrious artists as: Nirvana, Guns N’ Roses, U2, The Charlatans, Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, Cher, Aretha Franklin, The Cult, House Of Pain, and Snap and Haddaway.

In the mid 90’s, he devised and executed several hugely successful, top-selling compilation album concepts. In 1997, he produced a single for TrickBaby, and negotiated and signed for them a 5-album deal with BMG following the success of their debut single.

He subsequently produced a UK top 50 single, an Indian number 1 hit and worked on several Bollywood films, including Rohan Sippy’s Bluffmaster (one of the biggest Bollywood soundtrack albums in recent years), which has now sold over 3 million units.

In 2003, he set up Chachaman PR, an agency which successfully promotes a roster of artists he absolutely loves. Since 2007 he has the pleasure of programming, specialized music radio channels in genres that he enjoys. Steve had never realized until then that his knowledge and love of Indian music could be useful!

Zachary Monson

Zachary Monson’s whole life has been made of music: from his humble beginnings as a solo acoustic guitarist, to his ever-growing passion for electronic dance music that crumbles club floors. He grew up playing violin, guitar and piano in a household filled with the music of Stevie Wonder, Fleetwood Mac and Boz Scaggs.

Zac has a degree in Sound Engineering and owns a recording studio in Montreal where he writes music for television, film and commercial projects.

Zac is always looking for new artists and music styles to broaden his horizons.

Patrick Binette

While studying Cinema in college, Patrick Binette had the good fortune of landing a part-time job at a record store.

He was immediately hooked on both film and music, which naturally led to producing music videos and working in television (MusiquePlus). He was later hired to work in the promotions and marketing departments of several music labels (A & M, Polygram, Universal).

After a return to television as Director of Music Programming for MusiquePlus, he finally joined Stingray Music’s programming team. His life so far is a musical road trip of hundreds of concerts and thousands of songs!

Leyton Bracegirdle

Leyton Bracegirdle has worked in music, TV and radio in the UK, Australia and Sweden for the past 15 years.

His obsession for all things music began even before his teenage years. At the age of 11, he was already a DJ at his school’s youth club and was presenting his own radio show at the local hospital.

While studying Radio at the University of Sunderland, Leyton worked at the local commercial radio station, Sun FM.

Straight out of University, Leyton became Head of Music for Metro FM in the North East of England. A transfer to London’s Hit Music Station 95.8 Capital FM soon followed. There, he spent five years programming music, working on major events and interviewing the likes of Celine Dion, Beyoncé and Usher. He then spent a year as part of BBC Radio 1’s music and production team before travelling the world and eventually settling down in Sweden.

He currently manages two music TV channels in the UK: Chart Show TV and Chart Show Dance. Leyton has helped present and produce huge interviews with the likes of Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, One Direction and J.Lo!

John-Paul McVea

He is a professional musician who is passionate to play ancient pieces of music on keyboards and string instruments.

John-Paul is fortunate to live in Montreal where there are such beautiful church organs. The viola and the dulcimer round out his musical trifecta.

He has one book and one pop song to his name.

Grant Benson

Grant Benson has been working in music and broadcasting ever since he left school.

Since leaving his home city of London, he’s worked in many different countries and has had the chance of meeting some of the world’s biggest stars including Mick Jagger, Sting, the Spice Girls and DJ Bobo.

His career has not been without some risky moment. Back in the eighties, Grant broadcasted to the troubled Middle-East from the peace propaganda station The Voice of Peace. A few years later he was arrested by the British authorities for working for the offshore “pirate” station Radio Caroline!

Among the highlights of his career so far: commenting on the U2 concert live from Sarajevo at the end of the Balkan conflict and interviewing his heroes Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.

At the moment Grant can be heard every day on Italian radio and is the CEO of Monegasque radio.

Charles Boyer

Charles Boyer’s passion for rock 'n' roll was passed down from his father, a huge Elvis fan!

His love of music led him to numerous positions in radio, including coordinator of a student-run college station and host of a community station.
As a trained computer sound engineer, he then worked on various commercial soundtracks. After winning the Coup de cœur Award at Granby’s International song festival with his group Chapeaumelon, he toured various clubs and festivals throughout Quebec. In 2003, his first album was named one of the top ten albums of the year by Montreal newspaper Le Devoir.

Although he is always at home on stage, he has not left behind his love for studio recording. His material and songs have been used on various American TV shows and movies.

His musical adventure now continues with the creation of quality musical content for Stingray Music channels.

His father’s enthusiasm for rock ‘n’ roll had an enormous influence on Charles; the love of music transcends time and generations!

Jean-Richard Lefebvre

Jean-Richard Lefebvre has been an influencer in the field of marketing, media and music in Canada for over 25 years.

First recognized for having set up and launched ambitious projects like Radio-Canada’s Galaxie (1998) and Bande à part (2000), the development and promotion of local artists has slowly become a central part of his long running career. Both public and private, his extensive expertise in radio broadcasting has allowed him to occupy various prestigious positions such as Director of Promotion at Astral Media, Manager at Espace Musique and Director of Partnerships and French Programming on the Stingray Music network.

Heavily involved with communications firm EXUMA as a consultant in project management and musical architecture, Jean Richard continues to work as a programmer here at Stingray Digital and as Music Director at 101.5 CIBL Montreal, amongst other things,

At the root of several programs to encourage the emerging scene, including the Rising Stars program, this musical aficionado is also a member of numerous committees and juries on a global scale.

Simon Osborne

Simon Osborne has worked in the UK Radio Industry for nearly 30 years, both as a presenter and producer. He has also been Program Controller, Head of Music and Program Director (managing music and presenting teams).

He has a vast knowledge of music and programming techniques, which allows him to be creative when putting together playlists and to maintain a familiar flow of music. Simon is always on the lookout for new music. He regularly attends shows and is an avid reader of the music press. He maintains his contacts in the record industry to stay current and to know who’s releasing new songs and when.

Greg Torrington

Greg Torrington’s first foray into broadcasting came at the Carleton University radio station, CKCU. In 1977, he started working on-air at Ottawa’s then independent/progressive radio powerhouse, CHEZ-FM. He was promoted to Music Director in 1980 and remained in that position for a decade. Greg was awarded Music Director of the Year at the first Canadian Music Week industry awards, and is credited with being the first to break many prominent Canadian and international recording artists.

Warner Music Canada hired Greg as A&R Manager in 1990. There he scouted and brought in potential new talent, as well as coordinated recordings and videos of Canadian artists. At Warner, Greg worked on projects for many of the country’s top artists (such as Loreena McKennitt, Blue Rodeo, George Fox, Spirit of the West, Trooper, etc.), served on FACTOR juries (The Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings) and the Juno Awards talent committee. He also participated in music evaluation sessions and panels at numerous regional industry conferences across Canada.

Since his departure from Warner, Greg has ventured into artist consulting and personal management. He is also a regular contributor and columnist for the national music publications, Muzik Etc. In 2000, he teamed with the late Doug Kirby to manage artists at the booking agency LiveTourArtists.

Jean-François Dubois

Jean -François Dubois’ career in broadcasting began early. In the late 60’s he was the youngest DJ in Montreal. His voice could be heard on CFGL, CKLM and CKMF. He then worked in Ottawa as a reporter for CKCH. In 1973, Radio-Canada Saskatchewan hired him as Director of Information and Public Affairs. Also for Radio-Canada/CBC, he served as Director of Radio in Regina in 1982 and in Toronto in 1989.

During his 23 years with Radio-Canada/CBC, he trained journalists, presenters and producers on various aspects of broadcasting such as how to look good on screen, how to conduct interviews and how to focus on the elements that make a well-presented message and a compelling news story.

Today, in addition to work as a communications consultant, he manages the country music station CJMS St-Constant. For Jean-François: "The rhythm of country, when one stops to listen, is what is closest to the heart beat. This music connects people."

Eric Beaulé

Eric Beaulé grew up with the sounds of 60’s & 70’s music. He would listen to records or the radio while doing everything, even his homework.

His musical knowledge and interests led him to hosting a radio show for a few semesters while in college. This same passion drove him to learn bass and guitar by playing along records, which led to becoming a full-time musician!

For over 15 years, Eric was fortunate enough to make a living as a touring musician with signed bands and recording artists. He performed across Canada, the US and Brazil. During those years, Eric was exposed to a variety of styles of music and learned many of them to meet the demands of being a touring musician.

Although 70’s rock was his first love, R&B and funk music from the 60’s and 70’s hold a special place in his heart. His CD and box-set collection has grown along with his interest and knowledge of these genres.

Richard Lafrance

By the age of 18, Richard Lafrance had decided that the music business would be part of his everyday life.

The form this passion would take changed suddenly when he made a major discovery: the album Catch a Fire by Bob Marley & The Wailers. The heroes who had rocked his youth were soon eclipsed by the lush and seductive sounds coming out of Jamaica in the 70’s.

In the 80’s he started regularly travelling to Jamaica. He was the reggae critic for Voir (Montreal's free weekly paper) for over 10 years, and in 1990 he created the reggae show Basses Fréquences (low frequencies) on Montreal's community radio, CIBL FM.

His budding interest in Eastern Caribbean soca music led him three times to the Trinidad & Tobago Carnival. Today, steelpan music, calypso, parang, groovy and power soca all have places in his heart alongside his first Jamaican loves: mento, ska, rocksteady, reggae roots and dancehall.

Wolfgang Moser

Wolfgang Moser has been the Music and Program Director for the Austrian Federal Radio, the Blue Danube station, Ö3, Radio Oberösterreich and Radio Niederösterreich. He is also Editor in Chief of the Austrian Federal TV Station ORF.

Favourite groups and artists

Country music, Italian Music and Austropop.

Peter Roosen

Peter Roosen was born in Belgium in 1972 and has been obsessed with music for as long as he can remember.

His formative years were spent listening to pop music from international artists such as ABBA and David Bowie. He also developed an interest in French music that he has maintained to this day.

After studying Latin and Greek, he obtained certificates in Marketing and Management. He followed his favourite pastime by getting work in the music industry.

Peter used many of his acquired skills to transition into radio programming; first at local stations and later at larger public broadcasters. After successful years in the radio industry, he began working as a music journalist at a well-known European business magazine. He also started writing for Belgian newspapers and teen magazines.

Peter has been involved in working on music charts, assembling compilations for record companies, and judging music competitions and official music events.

Jay Smith

Jay Smith’s career in radio began as Producer and Presenter of the weekend youth show of his local station, BBC Radio Sheffield.

His first taste of commercial radio came as a producer at Hallam FM. At this time, a small underground dance music scene had begun to form in his home town of Sheffield. Greatly influenced by this scene, Jay became involved in setting up Groove FM, a pirate dance music station.

He later secured the drive-time slot on Yorkshire’s first regional dance music station, Kiss 105. Jay became Head of Music of the Sony station and presenter of the Chill Out program on the Galaxy network. There he played trip hop, drum n’ bass, R&B and Deep House.

Following a move to Manchester, where Jay was afternoon presenter for Galaxy 102 and then Century 105.2, he joined the Capital radio network in London, programming music for stations around the UK (including BRMB, Red Dragon, Power and Ocean FM). Jay also joined Size 9, a promotion company specialized in dance music. He has worked on releases for Ministry of Sound, and the Homelands and Gatecrasher music festivals.

Edward Mulder

Edward Mulder grew up in The Netherlands in the seventies, listening to Radio Luxembourg and the pirate stations broadcasting from ships on the North Sea.

In 1989 he landed his first professional job in the music industry, programming background music for large retail chains. In 2003, Edward started working as an independent music consultant. Since then he has provided playlists and production services to several customers, including three commercial FM stations.

He programs and listens to various genres of music and refuses to choose a favourite. Keeping up with new songs and styles may be challenging, but it is always rewarding. After many years in the music business, he is still fascinated by the way music touches people and affects their lives.

Favourite groups and artists

Anouk, Guus Meeuwis, Ilse DeLange, Acda en De Munnik, and BLØF.

Paul Conway

Paul Conway’s career in music started in college where he received a bursary for the creation of the school's very first radio station. Simultaneously, he gained valuable experience working for radio stations across the UK, including Manchester's Galaxy 102 and Key103.

After receiving a degree in Radio Production from Manchester University, he went on to become a radio producer for a large supermarket’s in-store station that was broadcast nationally.

The majority of Paul’s career was spent in the in-store and in-flight industries. Paul has successfully worked with corporate clients worldwide. In 2009, he received a prestigious art award in Spain for an in-flight classical selection.

Paul now works for Lime Pictures, a BAFTA winning production company that provides music for a well-known national television program. Paul is also as an important UK promoter who connects new music to the rest of the world.

“Music has gotten me through some of the toughest and happiest times of my life and I'm happy to be able to pass on this feeling to all my listeners and viewers”

Hilde De Clercq

Hilde De Clercq was born in Belgium. She has been programming Turkish music since 2002.

Her passion for Arab music was awaken when she was taught how to play the darbuka (Arab-Turkish goblet drum) on a reverse dustbin (since there were no instruments available). This experience, and later the discovery of Turkish music, changed her life.

After studying Arab percussion in France, Hilde went to Istanbul to study with Turkish singers and percussionists. She immersed herself completely in the local music scene. Turkey is a country with an immense musical heritage; at the crossroads of eastern and western cultures. This makes the Turkish music scene a huge and exciting playground for musical experimentation.

Today she plays in a number of bands in Europe and Turkey, and teaches darbuka. She loves to share different Turkish musical styles with her audiences.

Favourite groups and artists

Sezen Aksu, Neset Ertas,Teoman and Hayko Cepkin and Zeki Müren.

Annette Fradera

Annette Fradera was born in San Antonio, Texas. She currently lives, and has her headquarters in, Mexico City. She obtained a bachelor's degree in music from The Royal School of Music (UK). She has owned and managed the music production company Musicomedia S.C. since 1986.

For over 25 years, she has worked for UNAM University, Bellas Artes theatre companies and independent theatre. She founded the indie record label Discos Cabaret and produced a number of independent recording artists.

She has designed, directed and produced special projects for BMG and Televisa. She was appointed Director of Argos Música at Argos Comunicación and collaborated with Esquivel! on his two last recordings. She has also designed and produced shows for Hannover 2000, Summerstage at Central Park, N.Y., APEC, Lila Downs, and WOMAD, amongst others.

Annette specializes in Mexican and Latin Music for film, as well as in Latin, Mexican, Texan and Californian period music. She was awarded a Rockefeller grant for research on Mexican-US border music. She is currently developing the legal education project titled ¡Música en Corto! in Mexico.

She is a Music Producer and Consultant as well as a Music Supervisor for film and TV. She also works in music publishing in the US with Futura Ediciones Musicales (Ascap).

Lorne Anderson

When Lorne Anderson first heard what was then called “Jesus Rock”, it touched his soul. He was excited to hear performers whose musical expression of faith wasn’t rooted in the stale music of the past. As a Christian, he wanted to share his passion for this style of music.

His work in radio led him to campus station CKCU-FM in Ottawa, rock station CFMC FM in Saskatoon and Christian station CHRI-FM in Ottawa. There were detours along the way as a newspaper reporter, a freelance writer and a missionary in Liberia, West Africa.

“The church’s understanding of music has changed with the acceptance that it’s the hearts and minds of the performers that are most important, not the musical style.”

Lorne says one of his biggest thrills is introducing new artists to the Stingray Music audience: “There are so many new voices with something to say, musicians with a genuine desire to say something real, to integrate their faith into daily life and bring us on the journey with them. It’s so much fun to be part of that, to be bringing musician and audience together.”

Favourite groups and artists

Martyn Joseph, David Crowder Band, Carolyn Arends and U2.

Rosa Marina Nuñez

Rosa Marina Núñez ‘s childhood, filled with songs and instruments, fueled a lifelong passion for music. Her mother sang Christian music, something her uncle continues to do to this day. For Rosa, music is as life-sustaining as air, water and family.

A native of El Salvador, Rosa draws from her rich cultural heritage and Latin roots to support, through the promotion of their music, the depth, beauty and diversity of Latin-American cultures.

For over 12 years, she held the position of Manager of TouchTunes’ Latin music and world music department. There, thanks to her vast knowledge of the genre, she developed an impressive catalogue of Latin music. Rosa was responsible for content acquisition, production, licences and programming.

To this day, she maintains warm relationships with record labels, publishers, associations and artist managers. Her dream of programming channels for Latin America has now become a reality!

Favourite groups and artists
All North and South American artists, as well artists from Spain and the Caribbean.